The present invention relates generally to circuit modules and more particularly to circuit modules comprising printed circuit boards mounted on supporting framework.
As various types of electronic equipment have evolved through several "generations", commencing with use of thermionic type electrical components, followed by discrete solid state components such as transistors, into integrated circuit components in which an increasingly large number of functions can be included in a single "chip", the requirement for efficient, compact packaging of the components into modules or cabinets has become increasingly important, for a number of reasons. One reason is to take full advantage of the circuit miniaturization permitted by the reduction in component size. Another reason is that the spacing between components increasingly becomes a limiting factor in the speed of operation of the system or device in which they are used as the speed of operation of the components themselves increases. A third reason is that material and labor costs are affected by the size and complexity of the cabinet or housing in which the components are placed, and the ease of interconnection between the components and to the voltage distribution system.